Plea for fire volunteers
Tony Eade has run from the dairy shed to burning houses for nine years.
The Horowhenua farmer is urging more rural Kiwis to become volunteer firefighters and says employers need to encourage them.
Volunteer firefighter numbers are on the decline in some areas of New Zealand and finding people to fill the void is proving a challenge.
It was important to remember volunteering was not a one-way street, Eade said, and employers needed to work with staff for the good of the community.
The 46-year-old works for a sharemilker with a 680-cow herd south of Foxton. Part of a team of five, plus two relief milkers, he’s been a dairy farmer for 25 years.
Eade said he was lucky to have an understanding boss. ‘‘I have rung him from the truck before, sirens blaring through the phone, and I said: ‘I’m going to be late for work today’.’’
On another occasion he was called to a house fire, between Foxton and Himatangi, at midnight.
After hours of fighting the blaze he was dropped at the station, just in time for milking at 4am. He went to bed about midmorning, but woke to sirens not long after because the house had reignited. It caused him to miss the afternoon milking run. ‘‘It was a long day.’’
The Foxton Beach Volunteer Fire Brigade was always hunting for new recruits to help it respond to the 80-odd callouts each year, Eade said. ‘‘If I was a boss, I would say: ‘Right, do you put out someone’s house that is burning down... or come to work?’
‘‘I know which one I’d prefer. I understand you can’t do it with all jobs, but you’d feel better if they were off saving someone’s home or an old fella who is having a heart attack.’’
Although it wasn’t for the fainthearted, Eade encouraged more young people, like his three children, to sign up. Fire and Emergency New Zealand has about 12,000 volunteers and each has a first aid certificate, which could help in real-life situations.
Rural firefighters were often first to medical emergencies, like heart attacks, because most ambulances came from larger centres.
Eade said it may be a cliche but he signed up to help his community. ‘‘We are there to help everyone who needs our help, including animals.’’
They were the backbone of several rural communities, he said, putting on a typically brave face to the ever-growing demands and carrying the torch of fireprevention campaigns into schools.